On April 16, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new rule that declares it not “appropriate and necessary” to limit mercury and other toxic air pollutants. The rule, called the Mercury and Air Toxics rule, was established in 2012. Numerous health groups including Mothers and Others for Clean Air, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Lung Association, and many others supported the original 2012 rule.
EPA is taking this action now, in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, while people are suffering and dying from the virus, and we are all suffering from the economic effects of the coronavirus. EPA is quite aware of numerous scientific studies showing that air pollution increases people’s risk from viruses, and recent studies showing increased risk for COVID-19. Yet EPA is acting in a manner that will harm our health from both air pollution and COVID-19.
EPA finalized this rule yesterday April 16, despite major opposition from both industry groups and health groups. Industry is already in compliance and doesn’t want changes. Health groups point out that it will severely harm our health.
The 2012 Mercury Rule protects our health. The graph on this post shows date from a study in Environmental Health Perspectives published in 2019. This study shows that fine particle (PM2.5) air pollution contributes to a significant number of deaths for many causes, including heart disease, strokes, pneumonia and influenza, and cancer. Other scientific articles have stated that air pollution is as harmful to health as smoking cigarettes.
Dr. Rebecca Watts Hull, then Director of Mothers and Others for Clean Air, and Dr. Anne Mellinger-Birdsong, Medical Education Advisor for Mothers and Others for Clean Air, testified at the EPA hearings about the original Mercury rule in 2011.
It appears EPA is using the legal process of EPA rules to damage our health, and to undermine the ability of the EPA to protect our health in the future.
Please contact your elected officials, and ask them to oppose this rule and other EPA rollbacks that harm our health and make us more susceptible to the coronavirus.
